UN says at least 1,332 Iraqis killed in July by violence amid war against Islamic State group

BAGHDAD — At least 1,332 Iraqis were killed by violence in July amid the war against the Islamic State group, a slight drop from June, according to U.N. figures released Saturday.

The U.N. mission to Iraq said that at least 844 civilians were among the dead, while 488 members of Iraqi security forces and pro-government militias fighting the Islamic State group were killed. It put the number of the wounded at 2,108. Baghdad was the worst affected province with 335 people killed.

In June, at least 1,466 people were killed and 1,687 were wounded. The U.N. statistics largely do not include territory held by the Islamic State group, which controls about a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in its self-declared "caliphate."

The U.N. said it has not been able to verify claims about people dying from secondary effects of violence after having fled their homes due to the lack of water, food, medicines and health care.

Meanwhile Saturday, a bomb exploded near an outdoor market in Rashidiyah just north of Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 11, police said.

Another bomb blast near car repair shops in the southeastern suburbs of Baghdad killed two people and wounded nine, police said.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to journalists.

Violence has escalated in Iraq after the Islamic State offensive began last year. Iraqi forces have been struggling to regain control of the areas lost to the militants.

Yacoub reported from Amman, Jordan.

A woman carries a box of food from the World Food Programme at al-Takia refugee camp in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, July 30, 2015. The number of people displaced within Iraq due to violence and fighting by the Islamic State group has exceeded 3 million, the United Nations said in June. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

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